New Jersey is just one step away from legalized sports betting, as both chambers of the state legislature unanimously passed a bill on Thursday to allow casinos and racetracks to take bets. With just a governor’s signature needed next, the state is getting enthusiastically close to beginning its long-awaited new era of gaming.
The New Jersey Assembly passed the bill by a 73-0 vote, with the state Senate quickly following with a 37-0 vote in favor of the legislation.
Are We There Yet?
The bill now lies with Gov. Phil Murphy, who is certainly expected to sign it. Murphy has made public comments in favor of sports betting, but he has 45 days to act on the bill if he wishes to do so, and has signaled that he wants to review the bill rather than rush it into law.
“Governor Murphy looks forward to closely reviewing the sports betting legislation that was recently passed by the Legislature,” wrote Dan Bryan, the governor’s press secretary. “The Governor has long been supportive of New Jersey’s right to allow sports betting and he wants to ensure that the proposed regulatory scheme is fair and reasonable.”
There have been some speculation that Murphy could use his signing of the bill as leverage in his budget battle with legislative leaders. The governor’s office has not set a timetable for when he should be expected to sign the sports betting measure, though NJ Advance Media cited an anonymous source saying it’s unlikely the bill would be signed before next week at the earliest.
Technically, New Jersey law already allows racetracks and casinos to offer sports betting. As it stands, the state has repealed most of its sports betting prohibitions, a move that prompted legal action and ultimately resulted in the recent Supreme Court decision that struck down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992.
Racetracks Chomping at Bit
After the SCOTUS decision, Monmouth Park and other venues suggested they might get their sports betting operations up and running as soon as possible. But the legislature tried to slow down that process somewhat by inserting language into the measure that would punish entities that offered sports betting before this legislation was passed.
On Thursday, the final version of the bill removed those punishments, a move designed to allow Monmouth Park and others to get the ball rolling as quickly as possible. But while there was initially word that Monmouth Park might begin taking bets as early as Friday afternoon, the track now appears to want to wait for express permission from Gov. Murphy before starting.
“In my heart and mind, I think it would be the wrong thing to do for Monmouth Park to open for sports betting without the governor’s blessing,” Monmouth Park president and CEO Dennis Drazin told the Asbury Park Press.
The New Jersey Racing Commission also told tracks in the state to slow down, sending a letter to operators saying that there could still be consequences should they take bets without obtaining the proper licensing first.
“It should be fully understood that any improprieties or adverse conduct related to any unregulated activities would have the potential to jeopardize their ability to be licensed for sports wagering under the new law,” wrote NJRC Executive Director Frank Zanzuccki.
New Jersey is looking to become the second state to allow full-scale sports betting this month, following Delaware, which began allowing casinos to take a full range of bets on Tuesday.